The present invention is related generally to aircraft stowage bins and monuments. More particularly, the present invention is related to the attachment and support of stowage bins and monuments within an aircraft.
There exists an increasing demand for aircraft interior systems that are capable of supporting various interior features. The interior features include an increasing number of possible seat, bin, ceiling, and monument interior configurations that airline customers desire. A monument, for example, can refer to a stowage bin, a closet, a galley, a lavatory, or the like.
Support systems for interior features within a twin aisle aircraft, such as the Boeing Company 747 and 777 models, have become increasingly complex, due to the ever-increasing number of interior configurations that airline  customers desire. The support systems are designed to account for a majority of the desired configurations. The support systems typically include four rails that extend the length of the passenger compartment of the aircraft to support stowage bins, ceilings, and monuments. The bins, ceilings, and monuments are directly attached to the rails via brackets in an overhead area of the aircraft. The support system aids in withstanding emergency landing loads, which can be upwards of approximately 9Gs. With the use of the rails, the support system allows the bins, ceilings, and monuments to be mounted within various areas of the aircraft with minimal affect on the structure of the aircraft.
The rails are attached via struts and tie rods to lateral arched frame supports, on which the aircraft skin is attached. The rails can each be approximately 1500 inches in length and have considerable mass. A large quantity of the struts and tie rods are typically utilized, which include the use of vertical and horizontal struts, and lateral and 9G tie rods. The weight of such a support system can be approximately 1000–1500 lbs more than a simple tie rod support system that does not utilize the rails and directly couples bins and monuments to frame elements. Although  the rail support system provides increased configuration flexibility over that of a simple tie rod support system, it is expensive to manufacture and implement. Also, due to the additional weight of the rails, fuel consumption and therefore range of an aircraft can be affected.
The support systems can also include a center bin support ladder. The support ladder includes a pair of the above-mentioned rails with many cross-members coupled laterally between the rails, each cross-member sequentially placed laterally along the length of the aircraft. Although the cross-members provide additional support, they also increase the weight of the support system.
Also, in accounting for various interior feature configurations one needs to account for various sized bins and monuments, which may include bins and monuments of nonstandard sizes and shapes. Currently, irregularly sized and shaped bins and monuments can be mounted on the above-stated rails which have attachment holes along the length of the rails.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved bin, ceiling, and monument support system that has minimum size and weight, is easy to incorporate within an aircraft, is cost effective,  accounts for various interior feature configurations, and is capable of withstanding emergency landing loads.